The information and communication needs of patients with advanced incurable cancer: A rapid review.

Objectives: This review aimed to collate evidence on the key information and communication needs of patients with advanced incurable cancer and their caregivers. It also sought to identify barriers and facilitators to communicating, understanding and receiving information, with the view of influencing improvements to future practice.

Methods: This study used a rapid review methodology.

Cystic Subcutaneous Phaeohyphomycosis Caused by Cladophialophora Species in an Elderly Leprosy Patient.

Phaeoid (dematiaceous) fungi are a diverse group of species characterized by their production of the pigment dihydroxynaphthalene melanin. Although phaeoid fungi do not usually cause human infections, they are commonly found in nature as contaminants. These fungi are present in decomposing vegetation, rotting timber, and soil.

Improved Nutritional Outcomes and Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Adult Cystic Fibrosis Patients Treated with Elexacaftor/Tezacaftor/Ivacaftor.

Introduction: Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator modulator therapy improves nutritional status and quality of life. Clinical trials have shown pancreatic insufficiency conversion, mostly in pediatric patients treated with ivacaftor. Studies with elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor (ETI) in older patients have not suggested restoration of exocrine pancreas function, but quality data in adults are lacking.

Identification of and discrimination between the complex and complex directly from sputum using quadruplex real-time PCR.

. Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a serious disease with multisystemic clinical signs that is easily and frequently complicated by bacterial infection. Recently, the prevalence of nontuberculous mycobacteria as secondary contaminants of CF has increased, with the complex (MAC) and complex (MABSC) being the most frequently identified.

Pore structure evolution in andesite rocks induced by freeze-thaw cycles examined by non-destructive methods.

In this paper, we compare the values of petrophysical properties before and after 100 freeze-thaw (F-T) cycles, as well as recorded length change behaviour and temperature development on a vacuum-saturated fractured andesite rock sample taken from the Babina Quarry in Slovakia using a specially-constructed thermodilatometer, VLAP 04, equipped with two HIRT-LVDT sensors. We also used non-destructive visualization of the rock pore network by µCT imaging in order to study the development of the pore structure and fracture network in pyroxene andesites during the freeze-thaw process. The results show that the andesite rock samples, due to good fabric cohesion, low porosity, and low pore interconnection, showed good resistance against frost-induced damage.

Structural distortion induced broad emission in vacancy-ordered halide triple perovskites.

Structural distortion in halide perovskites is important to tune the optical properties of the materials. The octahedra formed by metal cations and halide anions in these classes of materials remain symmetric; however, the introduction of asymmetry provides enormous opportunities to improve the photoluminescence emission and excited-state lifetimes for their application in white light emitters. In this work, we have systematically introduced asymmetry in vacancy-ordered halide triple perovskite materials CsMX (M = Bi, Sb; X = Cl, Br, I) by mixing trivalent sites in three different halide compounds.

[Simultaneous Bilateral Femoral Osteotomies in Neurogenic Hip Instability: a Feasibility Study].

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY The study aimed to evaluate the intraoperative and early postoperative response to simultaneous bilateral femoral osteotomy usually accompanied by soft tissue release of hip joints, or open reduction, capsuloplasty, pelvic osteotomy or extraarticular shelf procedure. MATERIAL AND METHODS A bilateral surgery was performed in 16 children. Twelve children suffered from (spastic) cerebral palsy and there was one case of paralytic dislocation in a patient with myelomeningocele, while the remaining patients suffered from chromosome I aberrations, Dandy-Walker syndrome and merosin-deficient muscular dystrophy.

Skin wipe test: A simple, inexpensive, and fast approach in the diagnosis of cystic fibrosis.

Objective: To assess the performance of a newly developed skin wipe test (SWT) for the diagnosis of cystic fibrosis (CF).

Study Design: Spontaneously formed sweat from the forearm was wiped by a cotton swab moistened with 100 µL of deionized (DI) water and extracted into 400 µL of DI water (SWT). The conventional Macroduct sweat test (ST) was performed simultaneously.

Clostridium difficile infection and colonisation in children under 3 years of age: prospective comparative study.

Aims: Despite an increasing trend in Clostridium difficile infections (CDI) and high C. difficile colonization rate especially among younger children, infants remain quite resistant to the disease. The goals of this study were to distinguish whether there exists a difference in CDI between children with or without diarrhoea, ascertain the prevalence of CDI, and assess CDI severity in children under 3 years with diarrhoea in our institution.

Clinical and microbiological characteristics of Clostridium difficile infection in children hospitalized at the Departement of Paediatric Infectious Diseases in Brno between 2013 and 2017.

Aims: Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) plays a minor but important role in paediatrics. The aims of this study were to objectivise data, to show their significance in clinical practice, and to present our experience with the treatment of paediatric patients.

Exploring the equity impact of a maternal and newborn health intervention: a qualitative study of participatory women's groups in rural South Asia and Africa.

Background: A consensus is developing on interventions to improve newborn survival, but little is known about how to reduce socioeconomic inequalities in newborn mortality in low- and middle-income countries. Participatory learning and action (PLA) through women's groups can improve newborn survival and home care practices equitably across socioeconomic strata, as shown in cluster randomised controlled trials. We conducted a qualitative study to understand the mechanisms that led to the equitable impact of the PLA approach across socioeconomic strata in four trial sites in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Malawi.

Symbionts protect aphids from parasitic wasps by attenuating herbivore-induced plant volatiles.

Plants respond to insect attack by releasing blends of volatile chemicals that attract their herbivores' specific natural enemies, while insect herbivores may carry endosymbiotic microorganisms that directly improve herbivore survival after natural enemy attack. Here we demonstrate that the two phenomena can be linked. Plants fed upon by pea aphids release volatiles that attract parasitic wasps, and the pea aphid can carry facultative endosymbiotic bacteria that prevent the development of the parasitic wasp larva and thus markedly improve aphid survival after wasp attack.

Low Frequencies of Autoimmunity-Associated PTPN22 Polymorphisms in MODY Patients, Including Those Transiently Expressing Islet Cell Autoantibodies.

Background: The protein tyrosine phosphatase nonreceptor type 22 (PTPN22) gene encodes lymphoid tyrosine phosphatase (LYP), which is expressed primarily in lymphoid tissues. The functional but geographically highly variable PTPN22 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), particularly c.1858C>T, contribute to the onset and progression of autoimmunity-associated diseases and facilitate the expression of disease-associated autoantibodies.

Intermediate hosts of the trematode Collyriclum faba (Plagiochiida: Collyriclidae) identified by an integrated morphological and genetic approach.

Background: The cutaneous monostome trematode Collyriclum faba (Bremser in Schmalz, 1831) is a bird parasite with a hitherto unknown life cycle and highly focal occurrence across the Holarctic and Neotropic ecozones.

Methods: Representative specimens of benthic organisms were sampled at multiple sites and dates within the known foci of C. faba occurrence in Slovakia.

Focal Philophthalmus gralli infection possibly persists in Melanoides tuberculata over two years following the definitive hosts' removal.

Philophthalmosis is a zoonotic disease associated largely with the spread of the invasive freshwater snail Melanoides tuberculata, serving as an intermediate host. Here we examined Philophthalmus gralli focal fenced infection site reported recently as being associated with Tinamus major and M. tuberculata in Alajuela, Costa Rica.

Active chi-like sequences are present in the ITS1 region of polyembryonic adult Collyriclum faba trematodes encysted in pairs.

Collyriclum faba (Plagiochiida: Collyriclidae) adults occur in pairs within subcutaneous cysts. Here, we tested the extensive C. faba infrapopulation for five DNA loci known to display variability among Central European C.

Partial purification and properties of a laundry detergent compatible alkaline protease from a newly isolated Bacillus species Y.

Alkaline protease production by a newly isolated Bacillus species from laundry soil was studied for detergent biocompatibility. From its morphological and nucleotide sequence (about 1.5 kb) of its 16S rDNA it was identified as Bacillus species with similarity to Bacillus species Y (Gen Bank entry: ABO 55095), and close homology with Bacillus cohnii YN-2000 (Gen Bank entry: ABO23412).

Detection of protozoan and bacterial pathogens of public health importance in faeces of Corvus spp. (large-billed crow).

Parasites and bacteria are reported in the faeces of birds in the current study. Fresh faecal samples of the large-billed crow (Corvus spp.) were collected from the study site at Bangsar, an urban setting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Fournier's gangrene: can aggressive treatment save life?

Fournier's gangrene (FG) is a rapidly progressive, fulminant infection of the scrotum, perineum and the abdominal wall. FG is caused by synergic aerobic and anaerobic organisms. Modern surgical series report mortality of up to 67%.

'Hot flush', an unpleasant symptom accompanying antiandrogen therapy of prostatic cancer and its treatment by cyproterone acetate.

From 1995 to 1997 the authors have assessed 31 patients with histologically verified advanced carcinoma of the prostate (CaP) and the ensuing symptom of 'hot flush'. Patients underwent transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), bilateral orchiectomy (OE) and combined androgen blockade (CAB) by the administration of non-steroid antiadrogens. The authors present the mechanism of the genesis of the 'hot flush' symptom as well as its subjective manifestations, methods of laboratory monitoring as well as their experience with the treatment of this symptom.

Alpha 2-b interferon and farmarubicin in the prophylaxis of recurrence of superficial transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder.

Objective: To ascertain the effect of intravesical instillation of Alpha 2-b Interferon (IFN a-2) 10 million I.U. in 50 ml physiological saline as a monotherapy and in combination with Farmarubicin (FRC) 50 mg dissolved together in 50 ml of physiological saline.